“We will continue to defend American manufacturers and workers, especially when it comes to leveling the playing field and ensuring that American manufacturers can get the materials they need at a fair market price,” Froman said.

The United States initiated this WTO dispute in 2012, in cooperation with the European Union and Japan, after China drastically reduced its export quotas leading to a spike in world prices and major disruptions in the global rare earths market.

"China’s decision to promote its own industry and discriminate against U.S. companies has caused U.S. manufacturers to pay as much as three times more than what their Chinese competitors pay for the exact same rare earths," Froman said.

“To compete in the global, high-tech economy for decades to come — and secure the jobs that come with it — the United States also needs to develop a stable rare earths supply chain here in America," he said.